Ed Wilson

13 fascinating facts about Ed Wilson:
• I was born at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Mountain Home, Idaho. It cost my parents $7.00. (Just the price of food for my mother at the military hospital.)
• I’m an only child.
• I ran a family popcorn stand on the county courthouse square in Grundy Center, Iowa.
• Listened to WHO Radio every morning before school in Grundy Center. Never thought I would meet and work with the great cornerstones of Iowa broadcasting one day.
• Made it to Iowa State Speech Contest as an 8th grader.
• I was a three-time Iowa All State Choir member.
• In 1980, toured Germany, France, Belgium, England and Holland with the Iowa Youth Choral.
• 1982 Grundy Center High School Senior Class President.
• During college, I was a Baptist youth minister in Conway, Arkansas.
• I have sky dived.
• In 1989, TV 13 anchor, Laurie Groves, introduced me to my wife Angela. (Angela grew up in Marshalltown.)
• Have two children, Faith and Cole.
• While at WHO TV I have lived in West Des Moines, Urbandale and Waukee.
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My grandfather was a meteorologist during WWII. Living in a small town and just a bike ride away from both sets of grandparents was a wonderful gift. It allowed me to grow up with the influence of my extended family. My grandpa Brockway was most special to me. I loved to watch him predict the weather. He was a great prognosticator.

Using the wind, the clouds and observing humidity and temperatures, he could amaze me with his very accurate forecasts. I thought he was the magic weatherman. It sparked my interest in weather and made a huge influence in my decision to become a meteorologist. I still have many of my grandfather’s college text books. They are priceless reminders of my weather heritage.

My first reporting job was with my home town paper. I was a junior in High School and employed by the Grundy Register to report on our wrestling team. I was given the chance to go to follow the Spartans to Des Moines for state championships.

My first job as a forecaster was at KIMT in Mason City. I did weekend weather and reported three days a week for the CBS affiliate.

In September 1988 I was hired as weekend meteorologist and week-day reporter at WHO TV 13 in Des Moines. I soon became the noon and 5 PM meteorologist and co-anchored the Noon show. I have been the Chief Meteorologist for Channel 13 the past 17 years.

Growing up in Iowa and forecasting Iowa weather the last 25 years has given me the first-hand knowledge that is critical in forecasting one of the most diverse climates in the country.

Major storms include:
March Ice Storm 1990 that brought down power lines and left the metro and much of the state without power.

Iowa Blizzards: Over the past 22 years I have forecasted several blizzards that have closed down central Iowa. Both Governor Branstad’s and Culver’s offices have asked for my assistance before closing Interstates and declaring states of emergency. My first major blizzard experience came during the 1973 blizzard that shut down the Grundy Center school system for 2 weeks. (I was in the 5th grade.)

Tornado Outbreaks: Many tornado outbreaks have required me to stay on the air for hours and cover some of the most devastating storms in Iowa’s history.

The Parkersburg tornado that killed 8 people hit just 20 miles from my boyhood home. I was visiting my parents that weekend and drove through the storm to get back to Des Moines and on the air as the tornado moved into northeast Iowa.

I reported on the first F5 tornado that produced wind speeds over 200 miles per hour. It hit Norman, OK in 1993. Our team went to Norman and reported live from that devastation.

Flooding: The major flood of 1993 was one of the most important storms of my career.
WHO TV 13 was covering the Des Moines Grand Prix. This race track included many of the streets in Des Moines.

10 Inches of rain fell in Jefferson, Iowa. The rain came in less than 24 hours and started to run down the Raccoon and Des Moines River basins that feed the confluence of the rivers in Des Moines.

The race cars were driving over the bridges that covered the River in downtown Des Moines. Race officials stopped the Grand Prix when the water was lapping up to the pavement.

I volunteered to stay at the station overnight to keep an eye on the potential flooding. Later that night I was anchoring the story of my life as the city of Des Moines lost its water works and over 250,000 people were told they would not have water by the morning.

I stayed on the air for the first 30 hours. We delivered live reports on one of the biggest stories to ever hit the city of Des Moines. WHO TV stayed on the air, commercial free, through the first week of coverage.

There have been many weather events that have equipped me to be a better meteorologist. I look forward the new strides in weather technology and to the wide weather extremes that WHO HD and Iowa have to offer.

Recent Articles

DES MOINES, Iowa — Sunshine is back today. The high pressure over Iowa and Missouri will keep our skies clear. Morning temperatures will start in the middle 60s. The wind will be calm. By this afternoon temperatures will warm to the middle 80s and humidity will start to make it feel muggy. It will be mostly sunny. There is a slight chance for a pop-up storm this evening. Most of the state will remain dry.

ALBIA, Iowa – The tornado that moved through southern Iowa on Monday was a quarter-mile wide with winds of more than 140 MPH at its peak. For more than an hour, the storm tracked through parts of Marion, Lucas, Monroe and Davis Counties. The tornado touched down at 5:05 p.m. just southeast of Columbia in Marion County. Meteorologists said the tornado continued on its path moving briefly through Lucas County and entered Monroe County. The tornado had estimated winds of 142 m.p.h. when it […]

More storms are headed our way through the weekend. Storms will be moving through the state late Saturday afternoon, late Sunday and through most of Monday. The highs will be back in the middle to upper 80s. The best chance for strong to severe weather will be late Saturday afternoon and then again late Sunday and early Monday. Monday will be full of heavy rainfall. Obviously more flooding is expected and some of the storms in the late hours of […]

We are expecting more storms to continue to roll through the state tonight through Monday. The best chance for storms will be late evening through early morning hours tonight into Friday, Saturday-Sunday and Sunday-Monday. Some of the totals so far over the metro: Clive – 5.75″ Grimes – 6.80″ Waukee – 4.30″ West Des Moines – 4.5″ There are strong storms in western Iowa dropping lots of rain tonight. Rainfall estimates of three to four inches will be common. We […]

The isolated storms are dying down. It is a warm night over central Iowa. Lows tonight will stay well above average in the middle 60s. More storms are on the way tomorrow. Expect more of the same isolated storms typical of summer storms. There is a better chance for severe weather late Sunday night and early Monday. Next week will also stay active with periods of storms just about every day.

Clear skies and light wind will bring cold temperatures by morning. A frost advisory is in effect for all of western Iowa. Tomorrow will start out with clear skies but there is still a chance for showers by the afternoon. Highs will stay in the 50s. The weekend is looking much warmer and dry. Next week will be warmer, but there will be chances for showers and thunderstorms.

We saw some severe thunderstorms over western and northern Iowa through the evening and late evening hours. By Midnight the storms had calmed…but we are expecting more strong storms early this morning and again late today. Severe storms created large hail and damaging wind. Wide-spread severe weather is not expected this morning. Isolated storms were falling apart and creating high wind as they collapsed. It will be warm again today. Highs are expected to stay in the lower 80s. The […]

Overnight tonight temperatures will cool into the mid-40s under partly cloudy skies. Mostly sunny skies return again on Saturday. Highs should hit the lower 70s in Des Moines. A few more clouds will build in late, with an isolated shower or storm possible overnight into Sunday morning. The weekend will wrap up with highs in the mid-60s on Sunday. Temperatures will climb from 70 on Monday to the 80s by midweek, with the extra heat increasing storm chances by Wednesday and Thursday

We have finally turned the corner from the showers to the sunshine. It will be cool again tonight with lows in the upper 30s. Only light drizzle remains. Tomorrow will be partly cloudy and much warmer. Highs will be in the upper 60s. Saturday will be nice too. Highs around 70. There is a slight chance for showers Sunday. Highs will be in the middle 60s. Monday through Thursday of next week the temperatures will move to the lower 80s. […]

More rain is expected through the day tomorrow. Showers and isolated storm will add to the extra rain we had today. Friday will be partly cloudy and warm. Cooler weather returns for the weekend and much of next week. There is a good chance for rain and thunderstorms Sunday.

The rain is moving out of the state tonight. This system did not leave much rainfall over central Iowa but northern and southeastern counties picked up 1 to 2+ inches of rain. It will be mild tonight and tomorrow. Lows will be in the middle 40s and highs tomorrow around 69. Wednesday night and Thursday morning holds a better chance for showers and isolated storms. Temperatures will be cooler for the end of the week and weekend. Highs will start […]